A Strange Encounter
by riddle101
Summary: When Harry first steps onto Hogwarts Express, he meets a strange individual. I'm not very good with titles, I know, but if you have any suggestions for another, I'd love to hear them. Rated M, just in case.
1. Chapter 1

A Strange Encounter

A nervous Harry Potter boarded the Hogwarts Express for the first time and what was the first thing he saw? Why, the blond boy from the robe's shop being pinned down by a slightly bigger blond with his arms twisted at a painful angle, of course.

"Say you're sorry, Malfoy," his tormentor said, nodding his head in the direction of a plump, dark-haired boy that stood to the side, twiddling his thumbs.

"Fine, fine, I'm sorry!" Malfoy shouted, breathing a sigh of relief when he felt the other blond's weight shift off of him.

"Here you go, Neville," said the older boy, placing a small toad in the chubby boy's hand. The aforementioned boy smiled at him.

"Thanks, Balisk!" and he was gone into a compartment.

Harry turned to the others to see if this was normal behavior on the train. Ron had rolled his eyes at the smaller blond at muttered something about an "Annoying git," while Fred and George were smirking at this 'Balisk'.

"Well, if it isn't my two favorite gingers," Balisk grinned and then looked down at Ron, "And my second favorite."

"That doesn't make sense," Ron said, "If they're your two favorites, then—"

"They count as one person, at least in my mind." When Balisk's gaze shifted to Harry, he tensed. It wasn't that he was scared of being recognized, but that Balisk's eyes weren't exactly _normal_.

One of the eyes was a clear, crystal blue. The other, however, was a bright, blood red that sent shudders through Harry.

"And who do we have here?"

"My name's Harry," he answered numbly, still a bit shaken from the strange calculation in the way Balisk looked.

"Ah, well then, it's nice to meet you Harry," Balisk smiled and offered his hand as a greeting. He and Harry shook hands.

"So how've you lot been, hm?" Balisk straightened and shoved his hands in the pockets of his loose, black pants.

"Fine. Mum's been on us about the, er, _thing_ that we worked on last term. She thinks that all of us should pay more attention to our studies."

"Mum doesn't know I do your homework, does she?" Balisk asked, a smirk crossing his thin face.

"If she did, then she wouldn't worry about our grades," Fred grinned and clapped Balisk on the shoulder, "So how was it at Ana and Becker's house all summer?"

"Some new type of unholy hell that I was unaware existed," Balisk almost instantly deflated, "They wouldn't let me so much as send a bloody _owl_. I had to deal with that Malfoy git going _on_ and _on_ about how he was going to Hogwarts and how he was going to be the pride of Slytherin. I told him if he kept talking like that, he'd end up in Hufflepuff. Shut him right up."

"I'm sorry that you're related to an idiot like that."

"As far as I'm concerned, I'm not. A second cousin is a bit too close for comfort," Balisk waved his hand and went in search of a compartment, Fred and George chatting animatedly behind him.

"Er, who was that?" Harry asked, turning his head to Ron.

"That was Balisk Acton; he's one of Fred and George's friends. They've been friends forever because his mum is friends with our mum and he spends a lot of time at our house. That's why he doesn't call our mum "Molly" or something. His parents are kind of messed up since Balisk's older brother disappeared off the face of the planet. Mum kind of sees him as one of our brothers at this point."

Harry nodded and walked down the passage way. Hopefully, he wouldn't have too many times in which he had to be the center of Balisk's attention.


	2. Chapter 2

_A Strange Encounter_

_A woman stood over a brunette toddler with a wand in her hand. The woman was unnaturally beautiful, but had a maniacal look in her clear, blue eyes that ruined her perfection._

_"Here baby, this'll fix those eyes of yours. Now mommy needs you to take off your glasses," she said sweetly__._

_The toddler frowned, "But I can't see wifout my glasses."_

_"Mommy's going to fix that. Now__** take them off**__." As the last word left her lips, she roughly snatched the spectacles off of her child's face, making him cry out in pain. She saw the angry red lines that her long nails had left on her son's face, but she felt a strange apathy at the sight of tears falling from his grey eyes._

_"Here, baby. Let me do this," The woman smiled at her child and muttered a few spells under her breath. As the last burst of magic left the end of her wand, her son screamed in pain._

_A blond boy burst into the room and looked at the toddler._

_"WHAT DID YOU DO?" he shouted, scooping up his younger brother and trying to pry the boy apart from the fetal position he'd forced himself into._

_When he got him to let go of his face, he accidentally dropped the small boy, causing him to cry even harder._

_"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY BROTHER?"_

_"I did nothing! I was trying to fix his damned eyes!" The woman defended, pointing at the little boy without casting him a glance._

_"Is THIS helping him?" The older boy pulled his younger brother by the arm to stand in front of his mother. She gasped and fell to her knees at the sight of her baby's eyes._

_One of them had turned from grey to blue, like her own eyes. The other, however, was bleeding; the iris having turned a horrible shade of red._

_"…I…I can see mommy's soul…" Was all the little boy muttered before everything went black…_

Balisk awoke with a start on the train from his nightmare to find himself lying comfortably on Fred's lap while George leaned against the window. Both of them were asleep so had not seen the tears he had cried while unconscious.

"It was a dream…Just a dream." Though, as he touched his right eye, he knew it wasn't a dream.

He quickly dried any of the remaining tears on his face and made himself presentable so he didn't get any questions from his friends. He hadn't wanted to have this particular conversation with the twins. It hadn't gone very well the last time.

"Mmmm…Balisk? What're you doing, mate?" George asked, stretching and hitting his twin upside the head to wake him.

"Ouch, hey! What was that for?"

"You weren't awake yet."

"So you couldn't tap me like a normal person?"

"Of course not."

"WALL." Balisk interjected between them by putting a hand between their faces as they argued.

"Fine fine…Hey, Balisk, you look kind of shaken. Did you have a bad dream or something?"

"No," Balisk answer too fast, turning when he felt the train grind to a stop, "We should get going, yeah?"

"Yeah, sure."

Balisk, Fred and George slowly made their way from the train. Balisk winked a couple of second year girls that passed by them and they giggled before running off to find the carriages.

"Do they even know the chances of you fancying any of them is zero?" Fred asked his friend with a smirk, earning one from Balisk in returned.

"Of course not, they're only second years. They have yet to hear of my complete greatness because no one passes this information on to the first years."

"Why would they?" George asked, "That would just destroy their innocence."

As they continued down the walk way, Fred and George noticed Balisk's jaw tighten and his face become hard. Before they could ask what was wrong, they heard muttering coming from the group of first years.

"Look at his eye…"

"Bloody hell, what happened to him?"

"I heard his mum went nuts and tried to curse him into oblivion because she couldn't stand the sight of him."

The last was said by Draco Malfoy, a little louder than the rest. Balisk's eye twitch and he calmly walked over to the younger boy.

"Draco," He muttered. Suddenly, Draco found himself being lifted by the front of his robes with Balisk's face mere inches from his own. He couldn't hold back the shiver when he saw the intense glare his older cousin was looking at him with, "Do you have some sort of issue with me?"

"N-No…" Balisk dropped him and turned away.

"Coward."

Neither of the twins said anything when Balisk went back to walking towards the carriages. From the time of his encounter with Draco and when he climbed into the carriage, he continually muttered things about "Dumbass blondes," and "Bloody gits" that needed to "mind their own fucking business".

"Muttering's bad for you, Balisk," Lee said, climbing in after Fred and George, "Mum always tells me that I need to talk things out if I'm upset."

"You want me to talk? Fine, I'll talk. My cousin's a git and anyone I meet hardly looks past my fucking eye. They all think I'm some sort of freak."

"Balisk you know that's not—"

"Really, Lee? What was the first thing you asked me when we met?" Balisk put his hand to his ear, as if he were especially interested in what the other boy had to say.

"…I asked what happened to your eye…" Was the barely-heard response from Lee.

"Exactly, and has anyone that I hadn't known prior had anything to say upon meeting me that wasn't about me eye?"

"Well, technically—"

"Lee!"

"No, I'm sorry!" Lee flinched, as if expecting the blond boy to hit him. Instead, Balisk just glared and stood (albeit, awkwardly) in the carriage and jumped out of it. He stumbled slightly upon landing since they'd been moving, but he quickly caught himself before he fell.

"Balisk, the carriage is still moving!" Fred yelled out the open door.

"I'm walking!" Balisk shouted back, directing an obscene hand gesture at them before pulling out his wand, "Accio broom!"

Balisk caught the object the zoomed towards him and mounted the broom. As he flew to the castle—careful to keep at more or less the same rate as the carriages so he didn't show up at the doors too early—all of his anger slowly melted away into nothing. He shook his head and resolved to apologize to Lee later, but he knew he wouldn't.

Despite being his friend, Balisk didn't apologize. He just didn't. It wasn't like he didn't want to, but he wasn't raised that way. His father was cousins with the Malfoys, they never bowed out. God bless Molly, she'd tried her best to re-raise him, but at that point it just wasn't something he could control. He himself was a bit of a force to be reckoned with. Uncontrollable and easily set off.

After all, wasn't his mother the same way?


	3. Chapter 3

If I owned Harry Potter, the series would've gone a lot differently. All my OTP's would be canon and no one would've died! (Except all the evil peoples. Especially Lucius "Pretty Boy" Malfoy). When I do own it, all of you, my dearest readers, will get an email and a cookie. Don't hold your breath.

**A Strange Encounter**

Balisk sat at the Gryffindor table for breakfast. The Sorting had been last night, and unsurprisingly, all the newbies had started off the year on his bad side by asking about his eye.

All of them but Harry, it seemed.

Balisk summed it up to the fact he'd met the boy prior (well, he'd also met Draco before, but he was a git) and had probably scared him half to death. He probably didn't want to speak to him at all, let alone make fun of him.

The blond sighed and looked around the Hall. From his view, everyone was enveloped in light clouds of different colors. He supposed this vision was a side-effect of what he now called 'the incident', as he remembered see a similar cloud around his mother after Ashton had pried his hands away.

Her's had been a black-ish purple.

After years of having this 'power', Balisk had worked out a system of coding the colors. He found that they told him what the person was like on the inside. Sometimes, he'd have to look into the person's eyes, as the clouds tended to change with the mind it surrounded, just so he could get a better look.

He'd found that a white cloud usually surrounded babies and younger children, then it would change as they were exposed to more of the world. The Slytherin table was a mass of red—meaning generally evil in an adolescent way—with a few dots of white-grey in it. Grey usually meant the person was neutral; not decidedly evil, but not innocent either.

Black was the worst—it meant that the person had done horrible, evil things in their past and felt no remorse. He hated these people the most, though he'd met very few with this aura. His father had been one of them.

There were also a variety of other colors: Blue, which meant a light soul, someone who was generally happy. Purple, meaning slightly confused or mentally ill, as his mother had been. Green meant that the person was often absorbed in their own thoughts. A red-orange color meant the opposite of blue. These people were often pessimistic about life. He hadn't been surprised to find that he himself had a this particular aura most of the time. Pink was a good-hearted aura, one that he'd seen very few people with. These were the people he loved, because even though they've been exposed to the evils of the world, they stayed kind and generous.

Balisk sighed and pushed his meal around on his plate. He hadn't apologized to Lee for blowing up, but he knew that Lee didn't expect him to. He blew up often, especially when the subject of his right eye became topic. This was why it wasn't brought up unless his friends thought Balisk couldn't get away. He always did, anyway.

"Hey, Balisk," Hermione said brightly, "How are you?"

Balisk had made friends with Hermione before the year had started when he'd been walking around a muggle library in London and found her in the thicker part of the shelves. They'd begun talking about different types of literature when Balisk had accidentally used a levitation spell out of habit on one of the books. Fearing the worst, he'd tried to make up and explanation when Hermione calmly pointed out that his wand needed polishing and he needed to work on his grip.

Shortly after, he'd learned she was a muggle-born witch and was Hogwart's bound. He'd hugged her tightly before saying he was heading to the same school at the end of the year. Ever since, they'd made study plans for the year.

"Hello, I'm fine." He wasn't fine, and knew she could tell, but he didn't feel like talking that much.

"I know you're lying," Gold star for Balisk, "Why won't you talk to anyone? Lee told me what happened. Balisk, it doesn't matter what your appearance is, it's what's on the inside that counts."

"The inside doesn't count when people don't see past the outside," He replied calmly, standing and walking away. As he predicted privately, Hermione followed.

"If you'd just give them a chance—"

"I give them a million chances, Hermione! They don't take them. The only people that know me for who I am were the ones that knew me before the accident."

"I didn't know you before the accident."

"I was wearing sunglasses when we met. You cannot honestly say that you would've treated me the same if you'd seen it before hand."

"No," Hermione confessed, "But I would've held out. You like Shakespeare, most people here think it's a brand of underwear. How could I miss out on a friend like you?"

Balisk smiled at her. Hermione had a green-pink aura. Smart and kind, the perfect aura in his eyes. Though he would've changed his sexual preferences for a girl like her, he saw Hermione has a younger sister of sorts. A younger sister he was damn proud to have.

Suddenly he heard a racket from the stair cases and ran to see what had caused it. When he got there, he couldn't help the laugh that bubbled from his lips. He saw George hanging upside-down by his left ankle with his cloak dangling and his arms crossed. Fred had turned to Balisk and grinned.

"Very funny, Fred. Now put me down so I can smack you properly." George glared and him and Fred eased his twin down to the ground then released the spell.

Fred turned as he heard a sweet sound meet his ears. When he saw Balisk laughing—both from his mouth and his eyes—and he felt a tug at his heart, which had also picked up speed.

"Very funny, Fred. Now put me down so I can smack you properly."

Fred silently cursed his brother for interrupting, but put him down gently anyway.

His brother didn't have a chance to make good on his threat because Balisk had ran up the steps and embraced him. He hugged back and felt Balisk lean forward slightly.

"Thanks, Freddie," Balisk whispered, pulling away and turning to George. "You okay, George?"

"I'm fine. But I'm hungry, too. Let's go to breakfast."

"Sorry, I already ate. I'll see you two later, though. I'm almost late for Potions."

"Oh, right, I forgot. Someone's taking Advanced Potions this year. See you later, Balisk." Fred and George waved at him as he departed then raced down the steps.

Balisk sighed again and started off in the direction of the dungeon. Even though Potions didn't start for another twenty minutes, he wanted his pick of seats when he got there.

As he entered the large doors, he saw a few other student scattered around the dungeon and their professor seated behind his desk.

"Hello, Professor Snape." Balisk said, seating himself and his cauldron in the farthest right hand side of the first row.

Normally, Snape would loath the idea of having Balisk in his class. But he'd noticed that, when alone, Balisk was an exceptional student. It was obvious that the trouble-makers he associated with were the cause of his rare but still unruly behavior. He may even say that Balisk was his favorite student—not aloud, of course.

"Hello, Mr. Acton. Here is your ingredients list, so you can start early."

Balisk grinned and carefully took the parchment from his professor's hand. He scanned the words and memorized every one before going to the cabinet. He felt a tap on his shoulder and jerked up, see Percy Weasley standing behind him.

"Do you mind sharing that dragon's blood? That's the last bottle."

"Not at all," Balisk smiled, "You can just put your cauldron next to mine."

After getting situated, Balisk began to go down the mental list, putting in the ingredients as the list specified. After just a few minutes, he'd finished the potion and relinquished the dragon's blood to Percy while gathering his cauldron and getting a sample before using a spell to clean the rest.

"Here you are," Balisk said politely, placing the sample on Snape's desk.

Snape raised an eyebrow and dismissed him from class, though it officially hadn't begun yet. Balisk grinned and gathered his things, walking from the class room. He'd finished earlier than usual on purpose. It was his first day back at school from a summer of hell and he just wanted on moment where he wasn't being stared at by younger children for his eye or being stared at by teachers and equals for being so goddamned smart.

That brought him to another subject: Where his intelligence had come from.

From his mother, he'd only gotten good looks and the ability to rend grown men immobile. His father was no genius, following the strongest voice in the crowd, though at the same time fully aware of what he was doing. He knew that generally, one's genius was nurture, not nature. But when it came to being raised by his parents and his level of genius, it wasn't just his work. It had to be something in his bloodline.

Balisk sighed and looked up at the fat lady, "Mimbulus Mimbletonia," He muttered glumly.

"You look awful, dear," She commented, but swung open anyway. As soon as Balisk got up to the dormitories, he collapsed on his bed and snuggled closer to the pillow. Being in mostly Advanced Classes had its advantages; he had fewer classes than the normal students. He also got out of a few early for finishing his projects early, much like today. Though he didn't always leave before class started.

Since he didn't have classes until after lunch meant that he could sleep the day away.

So he did.

*Owari*

LAME CHAPTER IS LAME.

So, this explains a little more about Balisk, I think.

Someone asked if Balisk was pure-blood, that will be revealed in the next chapter. :D I've got to have a reason to keep the few readers I have coming back for more, don't I? And we know his brother's name now! I hadn't planned to reveal his name yet, but I didn't want to make the sentence more awkward by saying something like "His brother". It's four AM, but I'm going to work on the next chapter now.

P.S. Does anyone know of a good Beta reader? I don't have one and I need one badly because I suck D:

GOOD NIGHT.


	4. Chapter 4

I don't own Harry Potter, you crazies. Miss J.K. of the Rowling clan owns it.

A Strange Encounter

Balisk slammed his head into his desk as he sat in History of Magic. This was one of the very few classes that he wasn't advanced in. It wasn't his fault that Professor Binns was more boring than a dust bunny.

Really, the man needed a personality. Or, perhaps, several of them like Balisk had.

Balisk chuckled to himself but stopped when he felt something poking him in the temple. He turned to see a small paper crane floating by his head. He snatched it from the air and opened it up.

Quirrell is getting on our nerves. Want to help us out?

Balisk inwardly shuddered; he didn't like Professor Quirrell. The man had one of the darkest, coldest auras he'd ever seen. In fact, he had more than once seen the man's aura separate and become two. He just creeped him out. But, of course, Fred and George could never know that. They didn't know about his 'gift'.

Of course. What did you have in mind?

He wrote in his neat handwriting and sent the bird back. He looked over to see Fred reading his note and grinning. He pointed to the doors, which meant, "I'll tell you after class".

Balisk pouted slightly and slumped in his desk again. He'd been hoping that he could distract himself from his boredom by planning something for dear Professor Quirrell, but of course it had to be planned outside.

When they were dismissed, Balisk could've cheered.

"So, Balisk, how about we get around to planning something for our dear professor, shall we?" Fred asked, slinging an arm around Balisk's shoulders as George did the same. They ignored the slightly jealous stares that were sent their way from other male students as they usually did.

"Sure. What did you have in mind?" Balisk asked, picking at his fingernails.

They all three stopped as a sign that George was about to get dramatic, "Picture this: Quirrell, being yelled at by an angry Snape, the latter being covered in a strange, blue slime."

Balisk raised an eyebrow, "I'm listening."

"All right. We go into Quirrell's office and get something small in his possession that Snape would know about—maybe a watch or something. Then, we will plant it in Snape's office before setting the trap of the slime. How's that sound?"

"Hm, not bad. How long did it take you to come up with that?"

"About as long as it took us to find out that Quirrell is terrified of Snape."

Balisk shifted slightly but said nothing of his discomfort at the thought of punishing Snape at the same time they did Quirrell. Snape's aura wasn't the best—a grey aura—but it wasn't like he had a black one. As per usual, he said nothing. Again blaming his wrong-doing on peer pressure.

"Ah, well, I'll help you guys later. I have homework from Charms and I want to get it done."

That was a lie, but he knew they couldn't tell.

"All right then. See you later, Balisk."

He watched them walk away then felt a strange chill in the air.

"H-Hello, Mr. A-Acton. How a-are you t-this f-fine aftern-noon?" Professor Quirrell stuttered, smiling down at the boy.

"I'm fine, Professor." Balisk said, his eyebrow twitch as his stomach curled in displeasure. He heard a whisper in his head.

"He knows, Quirrell. He sees me." Balisk shuddered violently and Quirrell's lips twitched.

"Would you mind coming to my office, Mr. Acton?" Balisk didn't miss the sudden lack of stuttering in the older man's speech. He slowly backed away.

"Yes, in fact, I would mind."

"Come. To. My. Office. NOW." Quirrell grabbed Balisk by his arm and pulled harshly, nearly dislocating his shoulder. Balisk yelped in pain.

"Let go of me!"

"Professor Quirrell," A smooth, dark voice floated through the air and the two looked up at Snape who was only a few feet away, "I sincerely hope this is not what it looks like."

"A-And what w-would this l-look like, P-Professor Snape?" Quirrell's stutter miraculously returned as he released Balisk. Snape quickly grabbed the boy's arm and pulled him away from the other man.

"It looks like you were trying to harm one of my students. It would be wise if you left now."

Quirrell gave Balisk one last chilling look before retreating in the direction of his office. Snape released Balisk and looked him over for any injuries.

"Are you okay, Mr. Acton?" Snape asked as the blond boy brushed off his robes and retrieved his book from the ground.

"I'm fine. I'll go see Madam Pomfrey about my shoulder. Thank you," Balisk flashed him a genuine smile and went off in search of the hospital wing. It didn't take long for Fred and George to appear at his side when he arrived. They cornered him and began to ask him the worried questions that older brothers would.

"I'm fine, I just want to make sure my shoulder's okay. Some lunatic student had it in for me and pulled my arm. Snape saw it and gave him detention. End of story."

George and Fred simultaneously gave disappointed huffs, "I suppose that means we can't include him in our plan for Quirrell, since he saved you 'n all."

"Damn," George agreed, crossing his arms.

"Sorry, guys. I have to go talk to Madam Pomfrey, now," Balisk glided past them and went into the hospital wing.

"Now, what do we have here?" Madam Pomfrey asked, seeing Balisk clutching his shoulder.

"I ran into a git that decided to play rag doll with me. I just want to make sure my shoulder's all right." Balisk lied coolly, unwilling to tell anyone the real story.

Who would believe him anyway?

*Break*

Anyone would believe him now.

Balisk sat in one of the chairs next to Harry's bed. He'd come in right after Dumbledore had left, bearing some sweets for the injured boy.

"How're you doing, Harry?" Balisk asked, handing him the candy and looking him over.

"I'm fine. Thanks for the candy, Balisk. But, I have to ask you something."

"Sure."

"Did…Did you notice that Professor Quirrell was..." Harry pursed his lips, looking for the right word.

"Er, evil?" Balisk laughed slightly, "I had no clue." He swallowed slightly, hoping that Harry was one of those people that couldn't tell when he lied.

"Are you—"

"Balisk!" Fred and George walked into the room and grabbed the blond boy by his shoulders. "We've been looking for you everywhere! We need you to get our…er, 'special potions' back from Dean. Bugger thought it was funny to steal them."

Balisk sighed and stood, "Fine, I'll go. But using my inheritance is really just abusing power at this point."

As Balisk walked out of the room, Harry raised an eyebrow.

"You're bribing Dean with money?"

Fred and George snickered, "You really don't know, Harry? What Balisk meant by 'inheritance' is that his mom is a Veela. His inheritance is getting her…seducing ability. Haven't you ever noticed how he always gets what he wants?"

Harry's eye widened, "I didn't know. What's a Veela?" Fred and George cast each other weary looks.

"Ask Hermione," They said in unison before walking off after Balisk.

*Owari*

NOW WE KNOW, DON'T WE CHILDREN?

So Balisk is half-Veela :3 Which is why he's such a pretty boy.

BTW, I've read that Veela powers don't work on women, so that's why I made Balisk so…flamboyant. His pretty-boy technique doesn't work on girls, so he uses his powers for (mostly) good on men. :D It's also why he gets into trouble for flirting with the boys, because most of them are straight.

If anyone wants to pitch me any ideas, I don't mind at all. In fact, I welcome it because I'm still trying to work out the story line.

Also, someone asked me how long the story would go for, and I don't know yet. I know it's not going to go until, like, 7th year or whatever, if that's what you thought. I just don't have that kind of patience. A friend of mine already started the first chapter of a sequel she thinks I should do called "A Second Encounter", which obviously won't be published until I finish this one. It takes place a week or so after the Tri-Wizard Tournament.

LASTLY, someone asked if this was going to be yaoi. WHY OF COURSE, CHILDREN. Really, how could I right Balisk for five weeks without putting yaoi somewhere?

I love reviews, they make me feel special :3


	5. Chapter 5

**So, first of all I want to apologize for any mistakes that you may find in my stories. I don't have a beta reader and my computer sucks at catching stuff like grammar and I try my best, but I always find **_**something **_**after I've already posted the story. So if you catch something, tell me. And please don't think I'm a bad author because I don't catch stuff like that. I really do try, but I tend to skip over stuff because I'm thinking "Oh, I already looked there, it's fine" and then it ends up being, like, six run-on sentences and verb confusion out the wazoo. Anywho, enjoy!**

A Strange Encounter

"Ow!" Balisk snapped at he was thumped directly on the spine rather harshly by his father.

"**Sit up straight**, Avery." Becker said calmly, smiling graciously at Mrs. Malfoy as she set dinner down on the table.

Balisk bit back his reply of "Eat me, fucker" and kicked Malfoy under the table when he snickered at him.

Had Balisk known that he'd be forced into Sunday dinner with his intolerable second cousin and his family, he would've just stayed at The Burrow.

But nooo…Father _insists_ that he make and maintain connections with his family (even though he hated them—a feeling he knew was returned to the fullest extent).

"Avery, have you done all of your shopping for school?" Narcissa asked as politely as she could manage, smiling tightly at him. Balisk knew she wanted nothing more than to stab him in the eye with a fork. The feeling was mutual.

"No," Balisk said finally, with a little help from his father's dinner knife stabbing his thigh, "I haven't. I _planned _to do my shopping with—"

"Those blood-traitors you associate yourself with, we all know." Lucius drawled, cutting into whatever expensive meat his wife had made for the evening.

Balisk tilted his head and looked at Lucius. When the older man looked up—though it didn't show in his face—he nearly had a heart attack. Balisk was sending him _the most_ disturbing images from the damned eye of his. Visions of blood…And himself hanging from a tree by…Oh Lord.

Balisk rose calmly, "I'm leaving. You all disgust me. I'd thank you all to die horrible deaths in some earthly crevice somewhere." He walked out of the room, and the mansion. "_Accio, broom!_"

Balisk boarded his broom and kicked off, headed for one location that he knew would calm all his nerves.

-Hours Later-

"Hey mum, it's Balisk!" Ginny yelled, pointing out the kitchen window excitedly.

"Don't be silly, dear. Balisk is with his…_family_." The last word was rather forced than said from Molly. _Not that those buggers were ever the family Balisk needed._ She thought ruefully.

"No, it's really him! He's on his broomstick!"

Molly raised an eyebrow and looked out of the same window. Sure enough, Balisk was landing his broom unsteadily on the ground. He stumbled slightly, catching himself before he could fall.

"You know, Mum, as many times as I've seen Balisk stumble, I've never seen him fall before." Ginny said, "Do you think it has something to do with his inheritance?"

"Most likely. Lord knows he didn't learn that kind of grace from _this_ family. Now go get your brothers, breakfast is almost ready."

As Ginny ran upstairs, Balisk stumbled through the door and grinned at Molly.

"Hey, Mum. How're you doing?" Balisk grinned at Molly, whom leaned down (not that she had to anymore) and tapped her cheek. Balisk laughed slightly before kissing her on the cheek and grinning again.

"I'm fine dear. Are you hungry?" Molly motioned to the food cooking itself on the stove.

"For your cooking? Constantly." Balisk answered, placing a hand on his stomach and pouting. Molly smiled sweetly.

Then Ron had to enter noisily and ruin the whole thing.

"Shh! I told you, they could still be—"

"**RONALD WEASLEY!**" Molly exploded, rushing to her son. "**WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?**"

Balisk sighed and tuned out the conversation as he tended to the food that Molly had abandoned. He began setting the table and by the time Molly had calmed down enough to allow her 'horrible little creatures' to eat, he'd already completed it.

"Oh, hi Harry." Balisk grinned at him. Harry smiled tentatively back, still not completely comfortable around the other boy.

"**BALISK!**" Suddenly, Balisk found himself struggling to breathe as the twins tried their best to hug the life from him.

"Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow."

"Boys, let go of Balisk, you're choking him." Molly said, swatting Fred (George? Only Balisk could tell…) with a wooden spoon.

"Ow, okay mum." Fred (…The one that got hit…) turned back to his friend and grinned, "We missed you!"

They both brought him aside slightly, "The latest information on that _thing_ we've been working on is that we've ran into a bit of a snag, but we think you'll be able to fix it."

"Yeah, sure, Freddie—" (All right, so it _was_ Fred) "—But what of that _thing_ that we ordered? Did it arrive?"

"Not yet, but we're expecting it any day now." Fred assured him.

"Boys! Enough plotting, it's breakfast!" Molly insisted, pushing all three boys into their seats.

"Welcome home," George and Fred winked at Balisk before turning their attention to their food.

Balisk smirked.

_Welcome home indeed._

Balisk smirked and turned to his own food, already planning things to do with his friends not that he was free from his insufferable family.

_Hm. I think the first device should be saved for when school is back in session. The second, well I haven't given Ron a birthday present in a while…huhuhu…. _

"Balisk, darling, eat something. You're so thin." Molly insisted, almost spooning the food into his mouth. Balisk kicked Percy under the table and pushed the spoon away from his mouth.

"I can feed myself, Mum." Balisk chuckled, beginning to eat while the table fell into a comfortable silence.

Well, for most it was comfortable. Balisk noticed that Harry had begun to twitch around uncomfortably.

Balisk smiled at him from across the table, but said nothing until dinner was over.

"Hey, Ron," Balisk said, slinging an arm around Harry. "Mind if I borrow him?"

Ron raised a suspicious eyebrow and looked at his friend, who merely shrugged.

"Fantastic! Come along, Harry." Balisk pulled Harry up the stairs to his and the twins' (whom were out preparing Ron's 'birthday present') room.

Balisk kneeled in front of his own bed and lifted up a loose floorboard. Pulling out a package, he handed it to Harry.

"Merry Birthday," He stated.

Harry looked a bit confused before he opened the package.

"…Muggle candy?"

"Yeah," Balisk shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Ana's big on muggle stuff—drives Becker up the wall. She doesn't know I steal from her stash. Fred and George and their older brother Charlie are pretty much addicted to the stuff."

"Why are you showing me this?" Harry asked, brandishing the package gently for emphasis.

Balisk laughed lyrically, "I'm not showing it to you, kid. I'm _giving_ it to you. Welcome to the family."

With that, Balisk patted Harry on the head and left the room.

*Break*

**So? I know, it was a lame chapter, but I couldn't think of any other way to get the story line through the summer. D: It annoys me how uncomfortable huge time jumps make me.**

**I had a picture of Balisk, but my computer's being a bitch, so…yeah.**

**Well, Auntie Riddle is off to spread more gayness throughout the lands *flies away on a rainbow* **


	6. Chapter 6

**I'M SO SORRY I'VE BEEN A NON-UPDATING LOSER. I LOVE YOU ALL. I THREW IN A LITTLE YAOI SO DON'T HATE ME PLEASE! *sobs***

**Anywho, I wrote this eat kitkats and listening to Every Avenue, like a boss XD So enjoy my children!**

**A Strange Encounter**

Harry wandered down the corridors of the castle, having finally escaped the few students that didn't fear him because of his Parseltongue but instead decided to crowd around him and ask him questions. He sighed and kicked at nothing, turning a corner and looking up, his brows coming together when he heard noise coming from further down the corridor.

"Hey, Blaise, have you got a second?" A voice that Harry recognized as Fred and George's friend, Balisk.

The blonde somehow sounded different, in a way that had Harry leaning towards it without thinking.

"S-Sure, Balisk," Harry peeked around the corner and saw Balisk leaning dangerously close to the Slytherin boy.

"You see," Balisk placed his thin arms around Blaise's shoulders; Harry didn't miss the slight shudder that went through the younger boy. "I'm fairly low on funds, I'm afraid. I was planning to buy something rather…special," Balisk gave a flirty giggle. "And I was wondering if you could help me in any way?"

Balisk smiled and licked his lips casually, waiting for an answer. Blaise swallowed and nodded.

"Yeah, of course."

"Thanks so much," Balisk waited patiently for Blaise to pull out several Galleons and then pocketed what was handed to him. "I really appreciate this, Blaise." With that, Balisk leaned forward and pressed his lips again Blaise's darker ones in a quick kiss before pulling away.

Blaise swooned a bit and leaned against the wall as Balisk walked down the hall, towards Harry.

"Hello, Harry." Balisk grinned, clapping Harry on the shoulder. "How are you?"

Harry decided that asking Balisk about what he'd done to Blaise would just lead to him being stared at by Balisk's right eye until he barely recalled the incident. While Balisk had never done it to him, Harry had seen him do it to several other students (mostly when he was caught with the twins doing something they weren't supposed to).

"Not so good."

Balisk frowned and Harry felt the strong urge to take it back so he'd smile again. _What's wrong with me?_

"Why is that?" Balisk asked, his voice going back to normal as he put an arm around Harry's shoulders like an older brother would.

"The rumors that I'm Slytherin's heir because I'm a Parselmouth."

Balisk smiled and muttered, "Oh, don't worry about them. It's all just nervousness in uncertainty. They just want to believe something, so they go with the first thing that makes the slightest bit of sense. I know for a fact you could never do anything that the heir is supposed to."

"…How?"

"Let's just say I have a sixth sense about these things," Balisk winked at him and removed his arm from his shoulders, spotting one of his own classmates wandering the halls. "See ya, Harry. Hey, Lee!"

Harry felt the tiniest of smiles tug at his lips as he remembered what Balisk had said. Even if Balisk wasn't his _favorite_ person in the world, it helped to know that there was at least one person here that really believed he couldn't be the heir.

*break*

Balisk sat up in bed, hearing something shifting around in the stillness of the dorms.

"Who the bloody hell would be up at this hour?" He muttered to himself, grabbing his wand and climbing out of bed. As an afterthought, he looked down at himself and saw he had no shirt and a pair of George's old pajama bottoms that he'd been given since Ron was too tall to wear them. "Eh, who's going to see me?"

Balisk grabbed his wand and whispered, "Lumos," before he ventured around the other boys' beds in the direction of the noise.

As he got closer to the sound, Balisk's eyebrows came together when he hear a vaguely familiar voice muttering to itself. He padded down the stairs to the common room and stopped, casting the blue light on the dark figure crouched in the corner, ripping the stuffing from the chairs.

"…Ashton?"

*OWARI*

**DUN DUN DAHHHHH!~** **Okay, kids, you can send the hate mail now since I gave you a cliffhanger.**

…**I love you all very much kids. You know Auntie Riddle just wants you entertained.**

**BTW, does anyone feel gayer than usual after reading that little hint of Balisk/Blaise I threw in there? I sure did.**

**And finally, I'm taking requests for stories. I won't be doing a multi-chapter bitch like this one, just one-shots. You can make them yaoi or whatever, and I can do fluff and M-rated. I just need to keep my hands busy. Just a warning that my skills are only as good as the best chapter of A Strange Encounter that you've ever seen, so expect that. Message me if interested. ;D**

**I LOVE YOU CHILLENS! *huggles***


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay, so I had to get out another chapter :D You should be thankful children. So far, my only requests have been from friends over my email, several of which asked that I email them instead of posting them, which is fine. One of my requesters said that I could post it, and it's Balisk/Fred yaoi (not in that order, I just need it to be alphabetical because I'm sort of OCD—CDO, if you do it right ;D—about that shit.)  
>Another thing, if you ask me a question, but give me no other way to contact you unless I remember it when I update, don't be all crestfallen if I don't answer. I do remember one question because the answer was in another one of my chapter's comments by me *which pisses Auntie Riddle off, because she <strong>_**answered you already…**_***: Is Balisk gay?...**

**NO FUCKING DUH, CHILDREN.  
>Ahem, anyway. I love you guys, *kisses foreheads* you just aggravate me, is all.<strong>

**A Strange Encounter**

***Where all you children left off…***

_As Balisk got closer to the sound, his eyebrows came together when he heard a vaguely familiar voice muttering to itself. He padded down the stairs to the common room and stopped, casting the blue light on the dark figure crouched in the corner, ripping the stuffing from the chairs._

_"…Ashton?"_

Balisk rubbed his eyes, barely recognizing the older boy with his crazed eyes and patches of hair missing where he'd been pulling it out.

"Balisk!" Ashton gasped, pouncing at his brother and clutching him like a life line. "I know now…I know who _he is_…"

"Ashton," Balisk gripped his older brother's shoulders in an attempt to steady him. "What do you know? Why have you been hurting yourself?" 

"Our _father_ Balisk, I know who he is!" Ashton hissed suddenly, jerking back his left shirt sleeve, revealing a burning Dark Mark. "…He knows, Balisk. He knows I know and he's going to kill me! I didn't get mother's powers, I'm useless to him! Balisk you must help me, I don't want to die!"

"Ashton, who's going to kill you? Our father is Becker Acton, remember? He hasn't even got a mind of his own anymore, Ashton. He'd be dead in a second if he tried to clash wands with you."

"Not Becker, you fool! Our _father_. Mother lied to me, she's been trying to keep me hidden for years, but I can't take it anymore! No matter where I go, what I do, _he'll find me_. He always does in my head…" Ashton gripping his skull, ripping out more of his own hair in the process.

"I don't know who you—" There was a loud banging noise as someone else Apparated into the room.

"A-Ah, Misters A-Ashton and Avery. H-How nice to s-see you again."

"Oh god," Ashton coward behind Balisk. "It's _Wormtail_, Balisk…He works for _him_…"

"I know Ashton," Balisk glared at him. "Trust me, I know who he works for."

"A-Ashton, I'm afraid that y-your time away h-has e-ended. He w-wants you to r-return," Wormtail stated, grinning like a madman.

"Who wants him to return?"

"Why the D-Dark Lord of c-course," Wormtail smiled at Ashton. "But y-you both would do g-good to call him F-Father."

Balisk's breath caught and he looked at Ashton, then at Wormtail.

"I told you Balisk…" Ashton whimpered, clutching at him. "I told you he'd find me…He's not strong right now, but he will be. Everyone will die, there'll be nothing but devastation…I wish I was like you Balisk, then he'd have a reason to keep me around, but he doesn't. I'm going to die, Balisk, I'm going to die…"

Balisk had hardly heard his brother and was just registering the tears soaking through his pajama pants.

"This…It isn't possible. NO!" Balisk shook his head, tears streaming down his face as he pointed his wand at Wormtail. "I won't believe a word of it! He isn't my father!"

"A-Avery, lower your w-wand…He'll b-be very displeased if I h-harm his s-son—"

"_Conjunctivitus_!" Balisk shouted, a blast of light coming from his wand and hitting Wormtail square in the face. The latter collapsed to the ground, screaming and clawing at his eyes.

"_I'm very displeased, Avery. Very displeased,_" A voice hissed in Balisk's mind. "_You could've killed him._"

Suddenly, Balisk's back hit the floor and he found himself to be in a dungeon sort of room. He sat up to see Ashton knocked out beside him and Wormtail sitting now too far away, silent with his hands over his eyes.

"Wha…?"

"Welcome," A dark-haired man stood at the other end of the room, sneering at him. "You've done it now, boy. He was plannin' on lettin' ya go with a warnin' and then gettin' ya when he was ready, but now he don't plan on lettin' ya go any time soon."

"Tell him he can bite me," Balisk growled. "I don't give a _damn_ about the Dark Lord."

"Oooh, very brave, you are," The man chuckled and walked closer to him. "I'm gonna have fun with you."

Balisk reared his head back and brandished his wand when the man came closer, this time grasping a cuff connected to a long chain.

"Stay still, ya little maggot," After several minutes of struggling, he managed to get the cuff around Balisk's throat, jerking on the chain once or twice to "test it" before he all but dragged him up the stairs.

"Here he is," With that, the man threw him onto the ground at the feet of several other's in Death Eater garb. Balisk glared and, without a word, spat on the ground at their feet.

"Disrespectful little," One of the Death Eaters raised a hand to him, but was stopped by another.

"You know what he'll do to you if you hurt his son…"

"You're lucky, you little Mudblood."

Balisk growled and willed the man to look him in the eyes: _See what I'm making you see. See what I'd do to you with a great smile if I so wished. See what will happen if you cross me…_

The man's eyes grew behind his mask and Balisk huffed when the man's aura turned a cowardly color.

"Pathetic, you all are…" He hissed, glaring at all of them.

One of their boots caught him in the side, "Just wait until he reforms, you little brat. Daddy'll show you who's in charge here."

They all chuckled in amusement and saw no harm in kicking and cursing him.

Ashton shuddered in the dungeon room when he heard his younger brother scream. He could only imagine what they were doing to him right now…

He could only imagine what would happen to the both of them, should Voldemort regain the power he once had.

***Owari***

**My faithful reviewer, Blazeflower got into my head in the beginning that she thought Balisk would end up being Voldie's son or something…**

**WELL THANK YOU. **

**It completely blocked out whatever else I had planned for him with it's Greatidea-ness. Sorry if I stole it, but I couldn't help it. You know I love you.**

**Remember children, when you ask Auntie Riddle a question and don't **_**effing**_** leave a way she can answer you, **_**she gets pissed off**_** and it makes her not want to update for a year :\ She also feels the same way when you ask questions she's answered before.**

**BTW, just read **_**another**_** question from someone **_**else**_** who I can't reply to (GAH! Too much pressure!) and they asked if because Balisk called Fred "Freddie" and Fred thought that Balisk's laugh was a "sweet sound" did they have it bad for each other?**

**First off, while I've sampled every Harry Potter yaoi paring that's out there (cannot…unsee…) I'm not a big fan of twincest. I don't care if you are, that's just me. But George also calls Fred "Freddie" in the books (and is, in turn, called "Georgie") and I don't plan on shipping them in this fic. Fred and George and Balisk are very close, like brothers (like frigging George and Fred alone in the books) so he's going to call Fred what **_**George**_** calls Fred. Just saying. I could ship them, I could not. We'll see.**

**Another thing is, Balisk was depressed and angsty for a long while. If one of my best friends was like that, I'd think hearing them laugh would be a sweet sound too, even if I didn't have the hots for them. I hadn't planned on these being factors in who he'd end up with. *If you read my other story(?), it says that Balisk also kissed both Fred **_**and**_** George, among other boys in school, and even stated and he wanted their children. I've had one of my friends ask if he was going to end up with Snape because of some sort of chemistry she sees between them when I wrote the Quirrel scene. Maybe she has a thing for pedos, I dunno.***

**Sorry if I sound pissy, but asking questions like that and not leaving me a way to answer them other than an update comment you probably won't even read, it tends to irritate me. Leave and email or don't ask. I might leave a FAQ on my profile so people don't ask stupid questions anymore.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm sorry if some of you guys were hoping to read some smut, but D backed out so I can't post it :\ I was excited about posting it, but she insists, so you all can send the hate mail accordingly...  
>I'm kidding, D's nice, she's just a bit of a prude *cough*closetperv*cough*. I love her, really. She's amazing, that lesbo. :D I love A too, but she'll kick my ass if I say that, so I'll keep my trap shut.<br>Anywho, I decided since I couldn't give you children yaoi, I'd give you an early update. If you hate it, write a complaint and shove it~  
>JK, but blame this chapter on Hollywood Undead—I Don't Wanna Die. I love that song, but it gives me emo thoughts. :\ I also like the song Been to Hell :L, but that's beside the point. Enjoy children~<br>P.S. Feel free to leave questions, but if you send them anonymously, I won't answer unless I KNOW you'll read the update. These are the rules. *MWAH* Love ya.**

**A Strange Encounter**

"Wakey, wakey." The sickening sweet voice of the dark-haired Death Eater pulled Balisk from his fitful sleep. He opened his eyes, knowing what would happen if he didn't. "You know what day it is?"

Balisk didn't answer, just raised an eyebrow. _How the fuck should I know? It's not like you keep a freaking _calendar_ down here._ He thought venomously.

"A'course you don't," The Death Eater patted his cheek, making him jerk back at the contact. "Well, today, we get to move you."

"Where?" Balisk's voice cracked after days (weeks? Months?) of going unused. There was no reply but a malicious chuckle and the slamming of the old door.

Balisk jerked at the metal collar he'd been forced to wear for whatever length of time he'd been there. He hated it, but if he tried to pry it off, he often got a curse to the face. It was never anything lasting or permanently scarring—because apparently he was only useful to Voldemort if he could use his inheritance, which is why Ashton was utterly useless.

Which reminded him: Where had his brother gone? On the first day when he'd been taken upstairs, he'd seen his brother being dragged out of the front doors right after he'd been hit with the Cruciatus Curse for the third time. After that, Balisk had assumed they'd killed him until he'd heard screaming coming from somewhere within the house.

"C'mon, maggot." A yank on the chain connected to his collar by a faceless Death Eater. He complied, just wanting to get it over with. He was taken upstairs and forced to sit on the ground, a strip of fabric falling over his eyes. Someone tied it into a knot behind his head. He flinched when he caught a couple of strands of hair, but said nothing. "Oh yeah, we need this first."

Balisk heard the clinking of metal and felt a knife at the back of his neck as it sliced through his long hair.

"Now we—what the hell?" He heard the whisper of the mass of hair falling beside him and the enraged growl of the Death Eater. "What are you trying to pull?" The blind fold was jerked off and Balisk saw that instead of blonde, the severed hair had turned black. Balisk's head snapped back with the force of the Death Eater slapping him. "Answer me!"

"I didn't do anything!"

"You're supposed to pull them out, you moron, not cut it off!" Another yelled.

Then, suddenly, they were all on the floor. Balisk couldn't tell if they were unconscious or dead or what had caused either, but he really didn't want to stay long enough to find out. Someone peeked around the corner from the hallway and spotted him, yelling something in angry…foreign.

"I don't understand!"

The person stopped and lowered their wand, "Vhat is your name?"

"Balisk."

"Anthony," The person answered, walking towards him and crouching beside him. Balisk noticed the waist-length black hair that swayed with every one of Anthony's movements and found himself wondering why anyone would want it _that_ long. "Do you know how to get these off?" Anthony tugged carefully at the collar.

Balisk shrugged, "Your guess is as good as mine."

Anthony bit his lip and gathered the chain, "Ve don't vant to try to spell it off, in case it harms von of us."

"Good thinking."

"Vhere do you hail from?" Anthony asked, leading Balisk outside carefully. Balisk glared at the new light.

"Um, near London."

"You're a long vay from there," Anthony said, his eyebrows coming together. "This is Vardim."

"Vardim?" Balisk asked. The place sounded familiar…

"Vardim, Bulgaria."

"Oh fuck!" Balisk covered his mouth and Anthony shrugged.

"Doesn't matter, I'd cuss too if I was that far avay from home." Anthony said dismissively, stopping and looking around. "Can you Apparate?"

"Um, no, I haven't taken my test yet."

"How old do you have to be in England?"

"Seventeen," Balisk answered. "I'm only fourteen."

"Damn, vell I hope you don't mind Side-Along, because that's the only vay you're getting back."

"I guess not," Balisk took Anthony's offered arm and took a deep breath. "How's this going to—"

Balisk felt Anthony's arm jerk away suddenly and had the feeling he was being compressed tightly. After what felt like hours, his feet found the ground and he fell to his knees and vomited.

"Yeah," Anthony said. "That happens the first time. I'll call your headmaster."

Balisk felt too horrible to even question how Anthony knew his headmaster.

*break*

Balisk didn't realize he'd passed out until he woke up in the infirmary of Hogwarts. Anthony was nowhere to be seen, but Fred, George, Ron, Harry and Ginny were all surrounding his bed.

"Bloody hell, who put rocks in my head?" Balisk groaned, sitting up in bed and looked at them.

"Balisk, are you all right?" Fred asked a little weakly, looking as if he hadn't slept in weeks. "We looked for you for ages but we couldn't find you."

"They took me to some place in Bulgaria," Balisk said. "Calm down. I'm fine now. Really." Balisk smiled and his stomach growled. "A little hungry though."

"We'll go get you something from the kitchens," George said and proceeded to drag a protesting Fred out the door.

"If you don't mind, Balisk, we'll be going, too." Ron said, motioning to him and Harry. "Homework, you know."

"Go then," Balisk waved them off and yelled after them, "Don't forget to check your answers!"

"Are you sure you're okay, Balisk?" Ginny asked, looking just as restless and worried as the twins had.

"I'm fine, baby girl," Balisk said, pulling her into a hug. "Are you okay?" Balisk asked quietly against her hair, nearly choking on the dark aura that had been surrounding her.

"I'm fine, why?"

"Have you done something bad, Ginny?" Balisk asked seriously, holding her by the shoulders and looking her in the eyes. "You know I'd never judge you. I love you, you know that. You can tell me anything."

"…Well, I've been writing in someone else's diary…" Ginny said quietly.

"Is there something wrong with it? Have you been reading what they wrote?"

"Well," Ginny said. "There was nothing in it at first, but when I wrote something down…i-it answered. It wrote back."

Balisk breathed deeply, "Ginny, if it hurts you, I want you to destroy it or tell me, okay? It could be cursed."

"I know, Balisk, but it hasn't hurt me at all. It's offered me really good advice. But I know I have you for that, too."

Balisk couldn't help but smile; the girl always got him with that.

"That's right. Love you, Angel." Balisk hugged her tightly, hoping to God that she was right and nothing bad would happen.

He had a sinking feeling that he'd never be so lucky.

*Owari*

**How was that, children? You have no idea how many times I rewrote this chapter, it was such a BITCH. I hope you all like this :D I think it has less than five chapters left and then I MIGHT start the sequel. I still need a title and I only have two suggestions so far:**

**A Second Encounter (meh…)**

**A Porcelain Encounter (wtf?)**

**Yeah…So, ya know…Tell me which one you prefer or suggest another title. Also, I'll be taking suggestions for pairings :D I haven't decided who Balisk is going to end up with, and these are the suggestions I've had for THAT in order of popularity:**

**Balisk/Fred (like a whole fucking LOT of people have suggested it…)**

**George/Balisk (A lot less than Fred…But a fair amount)**

**George/Balisk/Fred (Er, all right then…)**

**Draco/Balisk (I wouldn't freak out because since Voldie is Balisk's real father, it means they aren't related but it was suggested over my email **_**before**_** that chapter so…Someone enjoys incest)**

**Anthony/Balisk (My beta suggested this. I love you Beth, but you know my plans for our dear Anthony, hu hu hu…)**

**Balisk/Blaise (I hadn't actually planned for Blaise to even be mentioned anymore *sweatdrop*)**

**Harry/Balisk (Ummm…No?)**

**Ron/Balisk (like wtf? They barely even spoke)**

**Snape/Balisk (no. Just…no.)**

**Lee/Balisk (considering Lee's only spoken in one chapter then only mentioned…I don't think so…)**

**Percy/Balisk (reviewing that one chapter where they're in class together, I see what my beta was talking about when she thought they were flirting, but it wasn't intended)**

**Balisk/ The lead singer from Korn (Lawl…That was from my lesbo friend, D. I love you, hoe.)**

**All right, cast your votes!  
>Also, I've posted the FAQ on my page, so read it and gain knowledge of what will piss me off if you ask.<strong>

**I love you children :D**

**~Auntie Riddle**


	9. Chapter 9

**OH GOD, IT'S THE LAST CHAPTER *weeps in a totally manly way* I'm so sad to see this long bitch go, but I can't wait to get started on the next series :D I won't keep you, so I'll post the usual beginning stuff at the end. Love you children!**

**A Strange Encounter**

George stumbled down the stairs of his home, hoping for a midnight snack before heading back to bed. He stopped in the doorway of the kitchen and peeked in to see his mother and father apparently arguing about something or other.

"I'm not sure if we can trust him, Molly," Arthur said, leaning against the kitchen table.

"How could you say that?" Molly replied, outraged. "We practically raised him! Balisk told us his secret in confidence."

"I know, I know. All I'm saying is that he's always been odd and this explains _a lot_—"

"No!" Molly stomped her foot. "That boy is like one of my children, and I love him. You are _not_ going to ruin all the good we've done for that boy!"

"Molly, think of _our_ children. Think of what could happen if You-Know-Who found out we were harboring his son. We could be _killed_."

Molly didn't say anything. Instead, she began to cry, nodding her head slightly in agreement. Arthur moved forward and held her.

"I know this is hard, Molly. It's hard for me too, but we have to think of the welfare of our own family. There isn't much we can do for him. We'll have to tell Balisk that he's no longer welcome here."

"Where will he go?" Molly sobbed.

"I don't know, and it isn't any of our concern."

George slumped against the wall and shook his head, not believe what he was hearing. He'd heard that Balisk had received some…upsetting news, but he hadn't thought that it would be something of that magnitude.

"Mrow." A heavy purring shook him from his thoughts and he looked down at Dusky as he rubbed up against his legs.

"What do you want, cat?" George asked irritably, not in the mood to pamper the feline. Dusky looked up at him passively before sauntering to the door and placing his front paws on it.

While he wanted to go back upstairs to at least talk to Balisk about what he'd just heard, he knew that Dusky would get revenge if he was left unentertained. He opened the door and took Dusky's nipping at his slightly exposed ankle as a sign to follow him.

"Fuck!" A curse was heard from behind the broom shed near them and George stopped.

"…Balisk?" George saw Balisk running a hand through his hair. His hand looking as if it wanted to continue through the locks after they'd ended, not yet used to its drastic length change. The blonde boy had obviously been crying, but was now furiously kicking his broom and muttering cuss words.

"Shit!" Balisk kicked at the ground and leaned heavily against the shed and adressed George without looking at him. "I guess they told you. Or you heard, or whatever. I was going to leave anyway," Balisk said, looking George in the eyes sincerely. "I really was. I'd never want to put you guys in danger. I figured they'd _miss_ me—I suppose Mum will—but Dad didn't even think about it before he decided I was no good."

George stood completely still as he watched Balisk reach for his broom. "He was lying when he said it was hard for him," Balisk said ruefully. "He's never liked me much—ever. Mum loved me and he hated that. Because I wasn't _his_ son and I was cousins with the _Malfoys_. Now he's got a reason to kick me out."

"Balisk, you know that's—"

"Not true?" Balisk laughed mirthlessly. "George, my eye isn't just there for decoration. It _shows_ me things. I can tell when people are lying. You've got this cloud around you—just like everyone else. He was lying through his _teeth_."

George tried to cope with the information he was just given, then remembered the broom.

"Balisk, where the hell are you going to go, exactly? It's not as if you can go back to Ana and Becker. And there's only one alternative after them."

Balisk flinched but said nothing for a few minutes.

"I've got a friend in Bulgaria," He said finally. "When I was kidnapped, he saved me. He told me if I ever got into trouble that I was welcome to stay with him."

"What about school?"

"What about it?" Balisk looked up at him seriously. "Do you seriously think Dad would keep it to himself? Everyone at school's gonna know who I came from. I won't be able to survive there. They'd murder me. Not everyone is as understanding as you, Georgie."

George couldn't argue. He'd heard more than once during the past school year about plans to beat the hell out of Harry for being the alleged heir of Slytherin. If they knew for a fact that Balisk was the Dark Lord's son, he'd probably be killed.

"Fine," George sighed. "Fine, putting aside all of the other stuff. School, family, whatever. What about Fred?"

Balisk winced.

"You didn't think about him, did you?"

"Of course I did!" Balisk said indignantly. "I was going to at least say good bye, but…"

"You're afraid he'd talk you out of it?" George guessed.

"No, I didn't want him to hate me."

"Balisk, the last person Fred could ever hate would be you."

"You can't know that for sure."

"Neither can you."

Balisk grimaced and shook his head, "I can't do this right now, George. I'll send you an owl or something, but if I don't leave now I'll miss my Portkey."

With that, Balisk boarded his broom and took off.

George couldn't think of a time he'd ever felt so empty.

*break*

Balisk landed unsteadily on vaguely familiar ground as the Portkey came to a stop.

"I vas vondering vhen you'd arrive," Anthony's voice called out to him. Balisk turned and saw the older man smiling slightly as someone much broader stumbled after him.

"Sorry, I had some loose ends to tie up. Parents and such, you know. One of my siblings decided to guilt-trip me."

"Ah," Anthony turned to the other man, who'd just grunted something in Bulgarian. "Could you at least _pretend_ that you care about some-vun else for a change. Yeah, valk avay. Completely different, that is."

Anthony rolled his eyes. "Sorry about my friend. He's in a bad mood…Constantly. I'll get you set up at Simone's house."

"Simone?"

"She's my mother. Very nice, but she's muggle-born, so her house has muggle things in it. Tv, a computer and kitchen stuff."

"My mum's the same way," Balisk said, gathering his things off the ground. "Except she's not muggle-born. She's a veela."

"I thought you might have some in you," Anthony said, nodding.

"Really? Most people can't tell."

"Vell, I've known some of the Bulgarian Quidditch team mascots. Nice girls," Anthony said, leading Balisk to a small cottage near-by. "This is my mother's—"

"Anthony!" A dark-haired woman walked out of the cottage and began to shout angry Bulgarian at him, not even noticing Balisk. Anthony suddenly found his arms filled with a small two-year-old and the woman walking away.

"That wasn't your mother, was it?" Balisk asked, slightly afraid for his life.

Anthony sighed, shifting the toddler to rest on his hip rather professionally, "No, that vas my sister, Isha. She comes around every vunce and a vhile and expects me to care for her son." Anthony cooed at the little boy, who giggle. "Not that I mind. Do I? Ne, of course not."

Balisk smiled at the display and decided that maybe he could find some good points in the hell his life had become.

*Owari*

_**I'm beautiful in my way, 'cause God makes no mistakes. I'm on the right track baby I was born this way!~**_** You children have no idea how much that song inspired my baby Balisk :3 Anywho, voting for couples and names are still open, I've leave them here again for you kids:**

**A Second Encounter**

**A Porcelain Encounter**

**A Stranger Encounter**

**So, vote, ya know? Please kids, get some of the pressure off of Auntie Riddle so her beta will get off her ass?**

**Here are the couple votings in order of popularity**

**Fred/Balisk and George/Balisk (tied)**

**Harry/Balisk**

**Fred/Balisk/George**

**Lee/Balisk**

**Ron/Balisk**

**Snape/Balisk (why is this still in the running?)**

**Balisk/Blaise**

**Draco/Balisk**

**Percy/Balisk**

**Anthony/Balisk (frankly, the only reason this is still here is because of my dumbass friends. I'm not doing this pairing, because I have other plans for Anthony—maybe his own spin-off :D I dunno.)**

**Balisk/That one guy from Tokio Hotel (WTF? D, you really have to stop voting…)**

**Balisk/your mom (ever since my dad got a FF. net account he hasn't left me alone…)**

**Okay, kids! Remember to read the FAQ on my page and review! Reviews feed my bitch of a beta so she doesn't ride my sorry ass for the next chapter when it's late :3 Please feed the monster, kids. I'd like to sleep at some point, but she won't let me.**

**Love you kids! Look out for the new series! :L**


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